Invest Ottawa appoints former Microsoft Canada VP as CEO

Invest Ottawa has announced its new president and CEO.

The economic development agency said that a CEO Selection Committee comprised of seven Ottawa leaders from industry and academia chose Michael Tremblay, who has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience. Tremblay was recently vice president of public services at Microsoft Canada, where he served for almost a decade.

“I am honoured to join Invest Ottawa as president and CEO, and work with our stakeholders to realize our economic development objectives, and chart a new innovation future for our region,” said Tremblay. “I am so proud to work for a city that boasts more than 1,700 technology firms that employ more than 68,000 people across knowledge-based industries.”

Tremblay is replacing former CEO and president Bruce Lazenby, who led Invest Ottawa from 2011 to 2016.

Before joining Microsoft, Tremblay was senior vice president with SAP Canada and Fujitsu Consulting, and as acted as a vice president with JDS Uniphase, EDS Systemhouse, and Digital Equipment Corporation.

“The selection of a CEO is one of the most important decisions a board of directors undertakes,” said David Ritonja, chair of the board of Invest Ottawa. “The CEO has a profound impact on the organization and the community it serves — from corporate strategy to execution, and, ultimately, corporate performance. Michael has a proven track record in the growth of high performance teams and organizations. Working closely with our employees and stakeholders, he will chart the evolution of Invest Ottawa and create new opportunities for our community.”

As Invest Ottawa’s goal is to make Ottawa an attractive city to grow businesses, Tremblay will work closely with employees, partners, and investors to catalyze the growth and success of Ottawa’s entrepreneurs and firms.

“Bolstered by exciting developments in cybersecurity, 5G, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and other strategic initiatives across our region, we have a unique opportunity to come together and make Ottawa an internationally recognized innovation epicentere that benefits our entire community,” said Tremblay.